South America

A Mayan pyramid in the middle of Argentina? Huh? That’s the first sign you have that Bodega Catena Zapata winery sees itself a little differently than the other Mendoza wineries. Luckily when you turn around, you get a sweeping view of the Andes….and the vast holdings of the Catena family. The winery, started by […]

The highlight of any trip to Mendoza is leaving the city and heading out of town to the wineries. When you see the fields of grape vines up against the Andes, you realize that this is why you came all this way. The province of Mendoza has more than 1,000 wineries and produces 70% of […]

Chilean cuisine: A look at popular foods in Chile, a haven for pescetarians.

By Michael K. Lavers, Contributing Writer I became a pescetarian nearly a year ago because I wanted to adopt a healthy diet that facilitated my weight loss. Traveling overseas can certainly prove challenging to anyone with dietary restrictions, but Chile’s nearly 4,000 miles of coastline provided an abundance of fresh seafood and shellfish that kept […]

A hotel review from the road: Explora Lodge, also known as Explora Rapa Nui, located outside Hanga Roa on Easter Island.

Time for a little hotel porn, Easter Island style. Traditionally, the island’s accommodations have never been ideal, consisting primarily of guesthouses and small hotels in Hanga Roa, Easter Island’s only city. While most of these small hotels provide the basics, they are generally overpriced for the quality that you are getting, with few of the luxe amenities that […]

Polynesian Fabios? Well, yes, the Rapanui men are attractive. But that’s only one feature that makes the Easter Island native culture so fascinating.

This post is fourth in a series about Easter Island. Before I left for Easter Island, friends who had visited the island before warned me that the Rapanui men were unusually attractive. “Think Polynesian Fabios,” one travel writer told me. And yes, the men, most with long flowing dark hair, tribal tattoos and well-developed arm muscles, […]

The more you learn about the mystery of Easter Island moai, the more you want to know.

This post is third in a series about Easter Island. Today I plan to dive a little more into the mystery of Easter Island, focusing more on the island’s history since “outsiders” arrived. (Read my post on how the moai were built). When the first Europeans arrived on Rapa Nui in 1722 – Dutch navigator Jacob Roggeveen, who […]

It’s impossible to fully enjoy Easter Island without diving into Rapa Nui history. The best place for this is the Ranu Raraku crater, where more than 350 moai lie in various stages of construction.

This post is second in a series about Easter Island. A trip to Easter Island is inconceivable without diving into Rapa Nui history. Otherwise, you can’t begin to understand the origins of the stone statues, or moai, that give the island its fame. Before I left on my trip, I picked up “Collapse: How Societies […]

I loved Lima, but couldn’t help noticing all the armed guards and police around the city. Some thoughts on how to be safe in Lima.

As I mentioned in my earlier posts, I found myself surprised by Lima. At least in the areas where we were (the historic center, San Isidro, and Miraflores), the city seemed clean and safe, and I would happily go back to explore more of the city. But that doesn’t mean that travelers to this sprawling […]

Known for its ceviche, Lima has become the center of a new gastronomic scene. We check out La Mar.

After spending a long morning touring the Lima’s colonial center, we moved on to Miraflores – the city’s wealthy suburb on the Pacific Ocean – for lunch. I knew I wanted ceviche, Lima’s premier dish. But first, Roberto took us to El Parque del Amour (Love Park), dominated by El Beso. The statue, by Victor Delfin, […]

Pictures from the Museo Larco’s collection of erotic pottery in Lima, Peru. Warning: Not Safe for Work

The Museo Larco in Lima has one of the most noted collections of pre-Columbian erotic pottery in the world. Some of the pieces are so detailed that you can’t help but realize that there is truly nothing new under the sun. Don’t scroll down if you’re at work, as the pottery is pretty graphic. The erotic pieces are […]